Wednesday, May 29, 2013

We recently started a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. (No, it's not all numbers all the time. And while I do quite like their Small Business section, I will admit that the Personal Journal is my favorite.) There is a great column in the WSJ Magazine called The Columnists, where they ask several professionals to weigh in on the week's topic. Last week, the topic was Intuition. You can read all the responses here, including a good one from Questlove. My favorite response was from Francis Cholle, whose response I've shown above.

I've been a big follower of my gut for as long as I can remember - sometimes with wide eyes - like when I quit my ad agency job because no one around me was happy, and my dad thought I was bananas. Or when I signed up for the National Stationery Show for the first time and at the last minute with just six note card designs. Or last year, when I debuted an enormous wall calendar that doubled as artwork. Things don't always work out when you use your gut as your compass, of course, but it seems as though the odds are at least always in my favor. This week's WSJ piece on intuition reminded me how important that inner voice is. And it comes at an opportune time, as I navigate mothering two little ones while also trying to kick things up at L&H - and maybe in ways that seem unusual for what has primarily been a paper goods company. But sometimes, you just have to go for it, right?!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I've added some new designs to my baby collection over at Paperless Post and have posted some here. I used india ink as the starting point for all of these designs. I love the quick brushstroke look - and putting many of the same images together really makes it sing for me. Except for the 1st Birthday design at the bottom - that one to me looks simple and awesome as is. Plus, a first birthday really is a big one!

All of my baby designs for PP are available as e-greetings as well as paper. You can check them out here. Hope you like! And let me know if you use one or receive one - I'd love to hear what you think!

Friday, May 24, 2013

Last weekend, the weather was pretty crummy here, so to help stave off major ants in the pants, we took the kids (kids!) to the Brooklyn Museum. John took Griffin to the archive room where you can pull out drawers and shine flashlights into the cases. He loved it! (Hands on stuff is always a hit.) I took Louise (who saw the back of her eyelids the whole time) to see the Workt by Hand exhibit featuring some beautiful historic quilts. I don't know what it is, but I'm gravitated towards quilts. I was in heaven looking at all the amazing hand work. I could have looked at them all day long. But of course, Griffin got hungry and Louise woke up, so we went to the cafeteria for a stromboli and a beer. :)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

For the first time in six years, I did not exhibit at the National Stationery Show. As any exhibitor knows, the lead up to the show is nutty. There's so much prep work. So last fall when the deposit was due & my belly was out to Alaska, I decided to pass. Instead, I've been silently working on some new things that I'll debut this summer. (More on that later!)

Towards the end of last year, I had the pleasure to work with Galison, a division of Chronicle Books, on some new designs for holiday labels and note cards - which I got to see in person at NSS yesterday. It was super exciting to hold them in my hands, and I can't wait to get some for myself! Sticker labels are SO useful. Especially when you give gifts to 19 nieces and nephews! When I was designing the labels, I purposely left a few blank instead of writing anything so that they could be used for labeling more than just gifts - addressing envelopes, writing merry messages on wine bottles, lunch bags & gift boxes, or sprucing up plain gift tags. So obviously the labels are useful, but my favorite non-useful but fun feature of the label pack are the patterns on the inside flap - the candy canes, below - and then what I call the sweater pattern, which is used on the back. The whole thing is just so cute. Can you tell I'm so pleased with how it all turned out?! :)

They should be available for purchase soon - I'll be sure to let you know.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

After multiple trips to the dermatologist recently and a back that looks like a science experiment, I will never let myself burn again or have my skin exposed to sun for any extended period of time. (ps, this model above looks like she might have had a few painful trips to the derm lately too!) Luckily for fair-skinned folks like me, companies are well aware of the damage caused by sun exposure and are making (cute) clothing to help keep the sun off our skin. J. Crew has some great rash guards with a UPF of 50 (the highest rating for clothing) as does the sun protective clothing company, Parasol.

See you at the beach! Under an umbrella, sunscreen applied, sporting a cute top like these here & my trusty wide-brimmed hat.

[top two images courtesy of J. Crew and bottom two courtesy of Parasol]

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

My dear aunt passed away suddenly last week, just two days before she was supposed to visit us here in Brooklyn and meet Louise. She was a wonderful warm & selfless woman, and I am heartbroken for her husband (my mom's twin brother), her three boys and seven grandchildren. Another tradgic reminder of this short life, of our fleeting and precious time here. One of my favorite things I heard yesterday at her funeral was something she often said: "The best gift you can give people is your time." She truly lived this personal motto as a physical therapist for handicap children and as a devoted wife & mother, giving of her time always - time cut too short. She will be missed immensely.

Sometimes it's the words of others that ring the loudest in me. That is true for my aunt's sentiment regarding the gift of time, as well as this lovely quote from the Little Prince that I handlettered for Minted - a quote that helps me during an inexplicable time like this.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Griffin is on a singing kick. And recently, he's been singing songs in different voices, like a "Louise-y voice" (a high pitched sweet little voice) and a "theatrical voice" (a deep voice), which he uses here for I'm a Little Teapot. Cracks me up.